How To Improve Workflow With Local Onsite Calibration Services

Calibration might seem like a modern invention, but it isn’t so. The idea of accuracy in measurement has been with us for five millennia when the Pharoah Khufu demanded perfection in building his tomb, the Great Pyramid. He required onsite calibration services in the form of the Royal Egyptian Cubit, a standardized wooden block of about 20.6 inches that workers had to compare to the official granite cubit once every full moon.

Oh, and don’t forget that failure to do so was obviously a capital crime. Because, you know, workers can never be motivated enough. (Pharaohs, man.)

There’s something to be said for his bloodthirsty methods, though, considering the Great Pyramid’s four sides are an average of 9,000 inches in length and only off from one another by .05%. Let’s just say folks took that cubit thing seriously.

Minus the threat of hanging or impalement, the importance of calibration is almost as serious these days. Onsite calibration services help ensure that finished goods meet specifications, that both internal and vendor parts conform, and that quality managers can feel confident and audit-ready.

It’s a lot to do in too little time, requiring a juggling act between product needs and quality requirements. Add in unreliable or hard-to-access calibration services, and you’ve got a perfect storm of “What else could possibly go wrong??”

But surely there’s a way to make everything go right… right?

Right: onsite calibration services. First, though, let’s take a brief tour of calibration throughout the ages.

A Brief History of Calibration Services

Again, onsite calibration services are nothing new.

They were well-known in Ancient Egypt, where the Romans used standard units to build their great aqueducts and edifices. Even the earliest humans used units such as the length of hands, palms, or fingers. (Spoiler alert: There was a little variation going on.)

Nor is having an internationally standardized set of weights and measures a novel idea. For that, we must give the French due credit. If you’re feeling extra stoked, you can even check out the International Metrology Day 150th Anniversary in honor of—you’ll never guess—the 150th anniversary of metrology.

Point being? Over the last few centuries, our global society has developed stringent standards for safety and accuracy, such as the test accuracy ratio to which metrology labs adhere. So again, accuracy is nothing new.

Indeed, what appears to be new is the idea that companies could possibly provide valuable, accurate, as-needed onsite calibration services from afar.

Challenges of Calibration

As a quality manager, ensuring accuracy in all your instrumentation is your No. 1 goal. Your job, your reputation, and your company’s bottom line depends on it. No room for spitballing or half-measures when you are the last line of defense in product quality and regulatory compliance.

The same is true if you’re responsible for vetting vendors and products. As a key decision-maker, you simply can’t afford anything but the best in metrology—and, therefore, in onsite calibration services.

Yet the job carries so many challenges, including:

• Overseeing a team of technicians and making sure they all adhere to standards

• Answering to your boss on all matters of quality

• Choosing hardware and getting the go-ahead of other decision-makers

•  Minimizing the amount of scrapped or rejected product

• Ditto the number of non-conformance internal parts

This all becomes harder to do, however, when you’re forced to rely on Big Box providers for calibration services, only to find that they’re hard to reach, offer slow turnaround times, maintain poor lines of communication, and are generally unreliable.

At the end of the day, some things are just self-evident. You shouldn’t have to define ‘calibrate’ to your service partners, nor should you have to justify why regularly calibrating the thermometers used to check food temperatures is important.

Likewise, you should be able to request onsite calibration services and have your partner show up to get the job done.

Family-Owned and Multigenerational Expertise

Time was, instrument calibration was always a service that happened on the local level, usually at the hands of a technician or family that had been in the biz for decades—or generations.

It was as true of chemical manufacturing as it was of food and beverage and as true of aerospace and defense as it was of machinery and equipment. Local onsite calibration services have always helped to preserve the accuracy of your tools and the reliability of your products.

So if the complaint regarding Big Box providers is that they’re not there for you, but the little guy may not provide service in a wide enough coverage area or go with you when you move, what are you supposed to do?

Happily, there’s a third way, and we’ve pioneered it here at Accredited Labs. We integrate regional calibration companies into a national consortium, allowing them to retain their unique identities while benefiting from shared resources, lead generation, and national certifications. This approach ensures that customers experience continuity in service and a personal touch that larger competitors can’t match.

Excellence matters, too. Every member of the Accredited Labs family adheres to rigorous industry certifications and operational standards, ensuring consistent quality across the network. This unified approach combines the trust of local providers with the reliability of a national organization.

Unlike Big Box competitors, we offer clear and consistent pricing structures that are free from hidden fees or inflated costs. This transparency builds trust and allows customers to budget confidently for all onsite calibration services. Every time.

On-Time, Onsite Services: Learn More Today

Put the phone down.

Stop googling “calibration laboratory near me.”

Quit frantically researching homebrewed calibration management software.

Now, you can find total onsite calibration services in one place: Accredited Labs. We leverage a national network to balance the strengths of local providers with the efficiency of a larger organization.

The result? Uncompromised quality, fantastic relationships, and service rooted in community. All you have to do is request a quote today!